The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) has criticised the sites for not integrating a universal “help button” into their site design which allows users to report examples of online bullying or concerns over potential grooming, where individuals attempt to hide their true identity and befriend younger users before arranging to meet with them.

The button can also be used to report examples of hacking or potential phishing scams.

Jim Gamble, from Ceop, claimed that there was “no legitimate reason” why the sites could not follow the example of rival Bebo, which has adopted the button. A spokesman for Facebook claimed that user safety was its “top priority”.

Ceop is responsible for tracing online sex offenders in the UK and claims to receive as many as 10,000 reports a month from other sites which host the button, which can connect users to specially trained Ceop officers for advice as well as providing links to local police advice and, government information sources and children’s charities.

Mr Gamble claimed: “Children can contact us if they are worried, they fear about someone’s intentions.

“Parents can be reassured because they know this environment is appropriately managed, with engagement with authorities ranging from the police service, including Ceop, right the way through to Childline online.

“And the predator, the person that goes on with harmful intent – whether it’s the bully or whether it’s the paedophile – they know when they see it that there is an active deterrent here.”

He added: “I am applauding Bebo – it’s taken us three years to get here. But I don’t understand – and there is more than Facebook in this – I don’t understand the logic for the others not following suit.”

But Facebook said that it did work with authorities around the world to protect users, but said it would communicate with Bebo to judge the value of the button.

“The safety of Facebook users is the top priority for the company, which is why we have invested in the most robust reporting system to support our 300 million users.

“We also work closely with police forces in the UK and around the world to create a safe environment. Our teams are manned by trained staff in two continents giving 24-hour support in 70 languages.

“We look forward to hearing about the experience of Bebo using the Ceop button and will take account of their experience in any future evaluation of our reporting systems.”

An outbreak of scam messages circulating on the website only last week left Facebook once again open to criticism as its estimated 60m users were potentially put at risk of identity fraud and malicious software.

It isn’t the first time that Facebook in particular has been used by cyber criminals. Back in December, a new variant of the Koobface virus emerged whilst various forms of the infamous “419 scam” continue to circulate, most of which go largely undetected.

Security scares on social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo are far from new. Critics have long pointed to the privacy issues that are created as users make their personal details, such as addresses and contact numbers, public on a worldwide platform. Others have highlighted potential security flaws in site designs and functionalities which have put user’s PCs at risk. MSNBC once reported that MySpace in particular was a “hotbed” for spyware.

The changing nature of social media and ‘Web 2.0′ is one of the main reasons as to why the security risks are somewhat more prevalent. The sheer volume of activity that takes place on Facebook, Youtube and MySpace means that it’s very difficult for sites to actively monitor every link that is posted and message sent but nevertheless, it is still possible to keep yourself and your PC safe simply by using some tried and trusted security tips.

If you are concerned about privacy, the simple answer is to limit both how much information you divulge about yourself as well as how many people can actually read it. For some reason, many otherwise experienced internet users have a tendency to let their guard down on social networking sites and publish their entire life story. That might look like you are creating a great profile page but ask yourself; do you really want the rest of the world, never mind old school friends, knowing your date of birth, mobile phone number, work email address and entire employment history? Limit the information that you publish on your profile and you limit a would-be fraudster’s interest in you.

Be wary of any messages that you get from unexpected sources. Many spammers and scammers have unfortunately turned to online messaging as a means of bypassing many of the email filters and firewalls that come packaged in many antivirus software packages. The advice is simply to ignore and delete any messages that look even remotely suspicious.

Up-to-date antivirus software is also an essential tool for any Facebook, MySpace of Bebo user. The customisable nature of user profiles means that large parts of such sites don’t meet the technical standards that are required to prevent spyware, worms and trojans from spreading. Even sites such as Youtube are not immune, with some videos now being uploaded despite containing suspicious links.

The overriding message when using any form of online messaging or interaction service is the same; use caution and common sense. Keep your personal information safe, use a strong password to protect your account, never share information with unknown users and make sure that your antivirus software is on full alert for any errant files that may be circulating online.

Information stored on Facebook user profiles, most notably their contacts or “friends”, would be harvested by the government and held on a central database if the scheme gets the go-ahead. The data, the Home Office claim, is needed to tackle crime gangs and terrorists who might use the sites, but they insisted it would not keep the content of conversations.

The proposals form part of a wider government plan to store details of all phone calls, e-mails and websites visited on a central database, something which the Home Office claim is necessary to allow police and security services “keep up with technological advances”.

A spokesman said: “The government has no interest in the content of people’s social network sites and this is not going to be part of our upcoming consultation.

“We have been clear that the communications revolution has been rapid in this country and the way in which we collect communications data needs to change, so that law enforcement agencies can maintain their ability to tackle terrorism and gather evidence.”

Telephone companies are already required to store details of all calls, such as the time and date, location and who made them, for a period of 12 months so that they may be used in criminal investigations or court cases.

At present, there is no regulation to prevent security forces from browsing internet profiles but it is the Home Offices’ intention to store such information on a central database that has raised concerns.

Chris Kelly, Facebook’s chief privacy officer, described the policy as “overkill” and is reportedly considering lobbying ministers over the proposal. He also added that the company was willing to communicate with security authorities over any suspicious activity occurring on Facebook.

Around 17 million Brits are thought to use Facebook at present, making it the UK’s most popular social networking platform. Bebo, which is aimed mainly at teenagers and young adults, has more than 10 million users whilst Myspace boasts a similar number of members.

Reports in the Sydney Morning Herald told of how Karina Wells of Sydney, Australia was approached by her “friend” Adrian, claiming to be stranded in Lagos, Nigeria and in need of $500 to pay for a return flight.

The message was however sent by a would-be fraudster who had stolen Adrian’s Facebook account details via what is believed to be a seperate phishing or malware attack.

The scammer instructed Wells to deposit the money in a Western Union money transfer account, but was foiled when Wells convinced them into disclosing further details.

Wells claimed that whilst the scammers used “relatively good English”, her suspicions were raised when the message used the term “cell” as opposed to the more common local term of “mobile phone”.

Wells continued in dialogue with the fraudster, obtaining further information, including their Western Union account numbers, before passing on details of the scam to the police.

“Naturally I was concerned as, to all intents and purposes, this seemed to be legitimate,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“I pretended that I would help, obtained all the details of where he was and forwarded them to both Facebook and the relevant authorities.”

The scam, which is a variation of the common “419 scam” that is widely associated with Nigeria, is one of many currently being used to distribute malware or extort money via social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Bebo.

Typically, the victim receives a Facebook message from a friend with a subject such as “LOL. You’ve been catched on hidden cam, yo” or “Nice dancing! Shouldn’t you be ashamed?”

The body of the message contains a video clip link that appears to go to a legitimate site such as Facebook or YouTube but, when clicked on, it takes the user to a bogus web page.

Before the users can play the video they are told they need to download a video player upgrade, which is in fact a password-stealing virus.

The stolen account details are then used to contact the users friends with requests for money, or to further distribute malicious software.

In September security firm WebSense reported on spam emails, seeming sent from an @facebookmail.com address, that tell the victim they have received an invitation from Facebook to add a friend.